Readers suspend reality when they become immersed in a story. Writers suspend reality when they wake up in the morning. Otherwise, we're pretty much the same.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Get Well Boston...

Bombing of the Boston Marathon raises emotions ranging from
fear to empathy, anger to insecurity. It's easy to be tempted . . . to succumb
to the lure of hatred.

Who did this horrific act?

We don’t know so far. Yet, I already recognize the single
most important trait about this killer. Hatred. Somebody’s core being contains
so much hate that he, or she, is capable of murder with cold-blooded planning
and single-minded lethality.

But, this blog is not about the killer. It is about the
survivors. Families have lost loved ones. Others have been wounded, from minor injuries
to life-changing amputations. They are also survivors. But, it doesn’t stop
there. I care about the event participants and fans that were traumatized.
They, too, are survivors.

Ultimately, televisions and the internet spread emotional
trauma across my country. We all share pain and suffering with those people in
Boston who were directly targeted. Should we be angry? Sure. Should we demand
justice? Of course.

What about fear? Should this experience make us fear future
terrorist attacks? Not me.

Fear is the goal of terrorism. If we succumb to fear, then
terrorism wins. Hatred is their lesser goal. If they can get us to hate and
retaliate, then they bring us down to their level and our generalized response breeds
the next generation of terrorists.

Reject fear. Personally, I will never bow to the threats of
terrorism. Likewise, I will not let my anger over this attack in Boston prejudice
me toward any religious, cultural or political group. This attack was the final
outcome of hate, nothing more. To prevent such events in the future, we must
defeat hatred. That war begins in our own minds. It’s our choice.

Sorry this blog is not about writing, but I thought this needed to be
said. Please, my friends, demand justice, but resist hate. If we hate, they
win.